Show off your woodworking

rharman · Dec 23, 2025

BigMike782 said:
Having not turned anything in two and a half years I decided to make some pens for Christmas gifts.
For some reason I had a terrible time with the acrylics, lots of chip out and chatter I never had before.

I, too, have not turned any in a VERY long time - probably close to 15 years now. Acrylics always gave me a lot of chatter and blow outs. It could be very frustrating. I have a set of carbide insert tools I bought to try and alleviate it but haven't used them yet.

One year, I made penlights, screwdrivers, corkscrews, and pens for my employees and a few other co-workers. As I recall, all but the corkscrew were wood. I got very lucky and that acrylic turned out great.

Just looked. Wow, they sure weren't that expensive when I bought them.

Mini Ergonomic Carbide Turning Tools, 3-Piece Set

Comfortable rubber handles provide excellent control and reduce fatigue — replaceable carbide tips require no sharpening.

www.rockler.com

BigMike782 · Dec 24, 2025

rharman said:
I, too, have not turned any in a VERY long time - probably close to 15 years now. Acrylics always gave me a lot of chatter and blow outs. It could be very frustrating. I have a set of carbide insert tools I bought to try and alleviate it but haven't used them yet.

One year, I made penlights, screwdrivers, corkscrews, and pens for my employees and a few other co-workers. As I recall, all but the corkscrew were wood. I got very lucky and that acrylic turned out great.

Just looked. Wow, they sure weren't that expensive when I bought them.

Mini Ergonomic Carbide Turning Tools, 3-Piece Set

Comfortable rubber handles provide excellent control and reduce fatigue — replaceable carbide tips require no sharpening.

www.rockler.com

I have an older Ryobi lathe that I used in the past that caused me zero issues with pens. Now I'm using a Nova Comet and it's way heavier and beefier than the Ryobi.......hmmm.
I did see a YT video of turning a pen putting the bushings directly between centers and not using a mandrel so I'll try that and see what happens.

Cjb1979 · Dec 24, 2025

My latest project is supposed to take inspiration from an old time spice cabinet. I still need to finish
The drawer fronts and put the tongue/groove back on it.

Cjb1979 · Dec 24, 2025

Each Christmas I typically create a handmade gift for each of my wife’s four employees. This year they each got a Christmas ornament off of the wood lathe. The metal pieces are from Woodcraft.

Mike65 · Dec 26, 2025

Just finished up a shaker style wall clock for our game room.

Vwpower · Dec 31, 2025

Made a spice rack for my daughter

RonnieC · Dec 31, 2025

Vwpower said:
Made a spice rack for my daughter

Faux-rustic? Looks like it would be at home in Winnie the Pooh’s house. Hope she loves it!

zanyad · Dec 31, 2025

Vwpower said:
Made a spice rack for my daughter

Is that Homer Simpson's spice rack?

Vwpower · Jan 1, 2026

zanyad said:
Is that Homer Simpson's spice rack?

Yea

Mike65 · Jan 19, 2026

Here are a couple storage cabinet w/wheels I made for my woodshop.

PirateTurner · Feb 7, 2026

Previously in a post I alluded to having more to offer from a cherry burl. I had this on display at the TAW in January.

Yes, 7 bowls from one burl. This burl wrapped the trunk of the tree. The close look will show that some of the bowls were cut from the burl outside to inside and some inside to outside. I pushed the McNaughton coring system to the limit.

I was fortunate to talk to "the" Mike Mahoney as he came through the Instant Gallery and looked at my bowls. We chatted just a bit and he asked, "What finish did you use?" My reply was in effect, 5/7 have Mahoney oil finish. He promptly picked a bowl up, sniffed and said, "yes".

As always, C&C welcomed.

Thanks for looking.

LeonardY · Feb 7, 2026

PirateTurner said:
Previously in a post I alluded to having more to offer from a cherry burl. I had this on display at the TAW in January.

Yes, 7 bowls from one burl. This burl wrapped the trunk of the tree. The close look will show that some of the bowls were cut from the burl outside to inside and some inside to outside. I pushed the McNaughton coring system to the limit.

I was fortunate to talk to "the" Mike Mahoney as he came through the Instant Gallery and looked at my bowls. We chatted just a bit and he asked, "What finish did you use?" My reply was in effect, 5/7 have Mahoney oil finish. He promptly picked a bowl up, sniffed and said, "yes".

As always, C&C welcomed.

Thanks for looking.

Thats a nice garage. Where are the scratch and sniff bowls?

PirateTurner · Feb 7, 2026

Image repaired. Been bit twice by this. Slow learner I guess.

BigMike782 · Feb 10, 2026

PirateTurner said:
Previously in a post I alluded to having more to offer from a cherry burl. I had this on display at the TAW in January.

Yes, 7 bowls from one burl. This burl wrapped the trunk of the tree. The close look will show that some of the bowls were cut from the burl outside to inside and some inside to outside. I pushed the McNaughton coring system to the limit.

I was fortunate to talk to "the" Mike Mahoney as he came through the Instant Gallery and looked at my bowls. We chatted just a bit and he asked, "What finish did you use?" My reply was in effect, 5/7 have Mahoney oil finish. He promptly picked a bowl up, sniffed and said, "yes".

As always, C&C welcomed.

Thanks for looking.

Very nice!
I have only turned one burl and it terrified me it was going to come apart.

LeonardY · Feb 11, 2026

PirateTurner said:
Previously in a post I alluded to having more to offer from a cherry burl. I had this on display at the TAW in January.

Yes, 7 bowls from one burl. This burl wrapped the trunk of the tree. The close look will show that some of the bowls were cut from the burl outside to inside and some inside to outside. I pushed the McNaughton coring system to the limit.

I was fortunate to talk to "the" Mike Mahoney as he came through the Instant Gallery and looked at my bowls. We chatted just a bit and he asked, "What finish did you use?" My reply was in effect, 5/7 have Mahoney oil finish. He promptly picked a bowl up, sniffed and said, "yes".

As always, C&C welcomed.

Thanks for looking.

Beautiful!

Cjb1979 · Feb 11, 2026

Finally finished the spice cabinet!!

bugnut · Feb 12, 2026

@Cjb1979 That is a beauty!

Cjb1979 · Feb 13, 2026

bugnut said:
@Cjb1979 That is a beauty!

Thanks! Now we just have to find a use for it.

SMOKEYBEAR · Feb 13, 2026

Cjb1979 said:
Finally finished the spice cabinet!!

C'mon man! You are making the rest of us look like amateurs.

turbowoodworker · Feb 14, 2026

Cjb , please elaborate on your construction techniques… how did you do the box joints, TS or router, etc.

Cjb1979 · Feb 14, 2026

turbowoodworker said:
Cjb , please elaborate on your construction techniques… how did you do the box joints, TS or router, etc.

The box joints( both the 1/4” on the drawers and the 1/2” on the cabinet construction) were all done with a box joint jig on my router table. I use spiral upcut router bits. The jig is from a Canadian company called Jessem. Please let me know if you have more questions.

rharman · Feb 14, 2026

Cjb1979 said:
Finally finished the spice cabinet!!

That is absolutely beautiful.

I've always wanted to build a piece of fine furniture and I'd like to think I know *how* to do that but my execution would come nowhere near yours. Just gorgeous!

Jgaz · Feb 15, 2026

rharman said:
I've always wanted to build a piece of fine furniture and I'd like to think I know *how* to do that but my execution would come nowhere near yours. Just gorgeous!

I bet you would surprise yourself. I’m also betting that you already have the skill set
What you need is a GOOD plan.

My first real furniture that I was proud of was this pair of matching night stands.
Solid cherry and cherry veneered plywood.

The plan came from WoodSmith magazine. It was excellent, as was the article on how to build it.

There were a couple of steps where I did what the plan showed and didn’t really understand why until later in the build.

If all I had was a finished picture I’d have said “no way” I can do this.
Their plan and article made this project doable for me.

Check out their back issues and available plans. I’ll bet you can surprise yourself.

rharman · Feb 15, 2026

Jgaz said:
I bet you would surprise yourself. I’m also betting that you already have the skill set
What you need is a GOOD plan.

My first real furniture that I was proud of was this pair of matching night stands.
Solid cherry and cherry veneered plywood.

The plan came from WoodSmith magazine. It was excellent, as was the article on how to build it.

There were a couple of steps where I did what the plan showed and didn’t really understand why until later in the build.

If all I had was a finished picture I’d have said “no way” I can do this.
Their plan and article made this project doable for me.

Check out their back issues and available plans. I’ll bet you can surprise yourself.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Drawers, doors, and slides have always intimidated me. Overlay doors or drawer fronts..... Ok. Inset..... Lots of trepidation.

Jgaz · Feb 15, 2026

rharman said:
Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Drawers, doors, and slides have always intimidated me. Overlay doors or drawer fronts..... Ok. Inset..... Lots of trepidation.

All things I was concerned about.

I should be clear here.
I purchased the doors. I ordered them a tight fit after the case was built and I planned them to fit the opening.

The drawer boxes were made from 1/2” Baltic birch plywood.
I constructed these boxes using finger joints. This was a slight deviation from the plan.
I was confident in this method from a lot of prior experience.

I worked on my finger joint skills with a number of smaller projects leading to this machinist chest.

Drawer slides for me had sometimes been hit or miss.
The big thing is very accurate measurements so you get the clearance exactly right.

Didn't even consider building the drawer box until the cabinet case was complete.

I treated this project like the old “How do you eat an elephant” joke.

Again, I bet you can do the same with the help of a compressive plan.

captain14 · Feb 15, 2026

Jgaz,

Did you build both of the cabinet bases at the same time? Meaning did you try to cut all the parts on the table saw at once so they would match?

Great looking work!

Jgaz · Feb 15, 2026

captain14 said:
Jgaz,

Did you build both of the cabinet bases at the same time? Meaning did you try to cut all the parts on the table saw at once so they would match?

Great looking work!

Thank you.
Yes, both bases were built at the same time.
Yes, all the cherry plywood parts, two sheets worth, were cut at the same time.

My only table saw is a ShopSmith.
It’s fine the majority of the time, but at $90 a sheet (2015 prices) I wanted to use something larger.

My hardwood supplier offers milling services. I provided them with a comprehensive cutting diagram and for $35 dollars the pieces were identical. Well worth it to me.

turbowoodworker · Feb 15, 2026

Cjb1979 said:
The box joints( both the 1/4” on the drawers and the 1/2” on the cabinet construction) were all done with a box joint jig on my router table. I use spiral upcut router bits. The jig is from a Canadian company called Jessem. Please let me know if you have more questions.

I just like to hear how people do such nice work. There are lots of ways to do box joints and dovetails. I have done it many ways, but currently my favorite is an Incra jig on the TS with Freud box joint blade sets.
What many don’t understand about box joints is how hard it is to set up properly. And on wide panels, such as your sides, a tiny error becomes very visible at the end. So congratulations on some great execution. Fine job.

manwithtools · Feb 15, 2026

Cjb1979 said:
The box joints( both the 1/4” on the drawers and the 1/2” on the cabinet construction) were all done with a box joint jig on my router table. I use spiral upcut router bits. The jig is from a Canadian company called Jessem. Please let me know if you have more questions.

Nice work and nice to know that you like the Box Jig from Jessem. I have one, but have not had the chance to use it yet.

Cjb1979 · Feb 15, 2026

turbowoodworker said:
I just like to hear how people do such nice work. There are lots of ways to do box joints and dovetails. I have done it many ways, but currently my favorite is an Incra jig on the TS with Freud box joint blade sets.
What many don’t understand about box joints is how hard it is to set up properly. And on wide panels, such as your sides, a tiny error becomes very visible at the end. So congratulations on some great execution. Fine job.

Thank you for the kind words

lowbucktruck · Feb 15, 2026

All right... I am in some serious company here. Lots of great wood projects. I may be out of my league.

Disclaimer: this project is not furniture-grade woodworking. It is a boot bench and mudroom storage. We live in the country, so we needed some practical boot, coat and gloves/hat storage solution for the outdoor chores.
So functionality comes first. And the end result has to be sturdy enough to handle daily abuse.

Materials consist mainly of Douglas fir for the uprights / structural members, ripped from 4x4 to 3x3 and from 2x4 to 2x2.5. And lots of pine and some birch plywood for the cabinet doors. Started with the bench first, then built the cabinet seperately. The back wall is tongue-and-grove pine flooring with a support structure behind. I did try to use my Kregs pocket-hole jig where I could for joinery, but in some cases went back to tried-and-true dowel or mortise-and-tenon joinery.
Still work in progress, but final sanding has been done and now applying finishes. The bench was completed first, so it has been painted.

Jgaz · Feb 15, 2026

turbowoodworker said:
What many don’t understand about box joints is how hard it is to set up properly. And on wide panels, such as your sides, a tiny error becomes very visible at the end.

You are so correct about a very small error adding up on a wide panel.
I had to be very careful adjusting my finger joint jig when making the fingers for the case panels on my machinist chest riser cabinet.

Cjb1979 said:
The box joints( both the 1/4” on the drawers and the 1/2” on the cabinet construction) were all done with a box joint jig on my router table. I use spiral upcut router bits. The jig is from a Canadian company called Jessem. Please let me know if you have more questions.

I use a shop made jig to cut my finger joints.
If I was to start over I’d use Inca jig but these weren’t available when I started messing with finger joints.

I use the Freud finger joint blade set. I started out using a 1/4” spiral up cut bit but I have better luck with the Freud blade set.
@Cjb1979 how is the life of your bits when 1/2” finger on 1/2” Oak stock?
Can you make

Jgaz · Feb 15, 2026

lowbucktruck said:
All right... I am in some serious company here. Lots of great wood projects. I may be out of my league.

Disclaimer: this project is not furniture-grade woodworking. It is a boot bench and mudroom storage. We live in the country, so we needed some practical boot, coat and gloves/hat storage solution for the outdoor chores.
So functionality comes first. And the end result has to be sturdy enough to handle daily abuse.

Materials consist mainly of Douglas fir for the uprights / structural members, ripped from 4x4 to 3x3 and from 2x4 to 2x2.5. And lots of pine. Started with the bench first, then built the cabinet seperately. The back wall is tongue-and-grove pine flooring with a support structure behind. I did try to use my Kregs pocket-hole jig where I could for joinery, but in some cases went back to tried-and-true dowel or mortise-and-tenon joinery.
Still work in progress, but final sanding has been done and now applying finishes. The bench was completed first, so it has been painted.

Very nice! You are certainly not out of your league.
For many of my earlier wood working projects functionality was the main focus.

Your bench and storage look great

m6z · Feb 15, 2026

DBS5Window said:
I have been making CNC projects this year. I just finished up the Lord’s supper for a fundraiser auction. I purchased the STL model file so it’s not my original work. 23 hours of machine time and another 4 hours of detail sanding and finishing time. The challenge coin flag is my own design. It’s 24”x36”.

@DBS5Window

Details on CNC setup?

That's pretty awesome

dscheidt · Feb 15, 2026

lowbucktruck said:
All right... I am in some serious company here. Lots of great wood projects. I may be out of my league.

Disclaimer: this project is not furniture-grade woodworking. It is a boot bench and mudroom storage. We live in the country, so we needed some practical boot, coat and gloves/hat storage solution for the outdoor chores.
So functionality comes first. And the end result has to be sturdy enough to handle daily abuse.

Materials consist mainly of Douglas fir for the uprights / structural members, ripped from 4x4 to 3x3 and from 2x4 to 2x2.5. And lots of pine. Started with the bench first, then built the cabinet seperately. The back wall is tongue-and-grove pine flooring with a support structure behind. I did try to use my Kregs pocket-hole jig where I could for joinery, but in some cases went back to tried-and-true dowel or mortise-and-tenon joinery.
Still work in progress, but final sanding has been done and now applying finishes. The bench was completed first, so it has been painted.

Looks like furniture to me. Very nice.

BigMike782 · Feb 16, 2026

lowbucktruck said:
All right... I am in some serious company here. Lots of great wood projects. I may be out of my league.

Disclaimer: this project is not furniture-grade woodworking. It is a boot bench and mudroom storage. We live in the country, so we needed some practical boot, coat and gloves/hat storage solution for the outdoor chores.
So functionality comes first. And the end result has to be sturdy enough to handle daily abuse.

Materials consist mainly of Douglas fir for the uprights / structural members, ripped from 4x4 to 3x3 and from 2x4 to 2x2.5. And lots of pine. Started with the bench first, then built the cabinet seperately. The back wall is tongue-and-grove pine flooring with a support structure behind. I did try to use my Kregs pocket-hole jig where I could for joinery, but in some cases went back to tried-and-true dowel or mortise-and-tenon joinery.
Still work in progress, but final sanding has been done and now applying finishes. The bench was completed first, so it has been painted.

As others have said, you have a lot to be proud of, those are very nice.

Jgaz · Feb 16, 2026

Nothing big but I FINALLY finished the last couple steps to consider these boxes DONE.

These started out as a project to either use up scraps (aka “good stuff”) or throw them out.

Two different pieces of walnut each yielded two boxes and Spalted Birch was used for the lids.

bugzilla46310 · Feb 16, 2026

First I bought the old lathe stand and redid that for my lathe, that I also refurbished. Used the wood from the bought stand for the drawers, etc. Then I made the Chalice, Ciborium and Paten for a priest friend.

Cjb1979 · Feb 16, 2026

Jgaz said:
You are so correct about a very small error adding up on a wide panel.
I had to be very careful adjusting my finger joint jig when making the fingers for the case panels on my machinist chest riser cabinet.

I use a shop made jig to cut my finger joints.
If I was to start over I’d use Inca jig but these weren’t available when I started messing with finger joints.

I use the Freud finger joint blade set. I started out using a 1/4” spiral up cut bit but I have better luck with the Freud blade set.
@Cjb1979 how is the life of your bits when 1/2” finger on 1/2” Oak stock?
Can you make

I always buy Freud bits. The 1/4” and 1/2” that I have now, have been in use for a few years. The 1/2” has had a lot of drawer boxes ran over it, mostly poplar but some walnut too. I can speak for oak. Most of my work is with walnut.

bugnut · Feb 17, 2026

Jgaz said:
Very nice! You are certainly not out of your league.
For many of my earlier wood working projects functionality was the main focus.

Your bench and storage look great

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